“What’s that lens on your body?” That is a real common question when I’m shooting with the 18mm and I shoot with it a lot so it’s a common question! This is simply an amazing lens from the past that still has a spot in my camera bag. It’s main attributes that I count on: small, compact size (13.4oz), 77mm filter size (can use a polarizer), AF (though not AFS) and it’s tack freakin sharp! It’s CRC, MFD and rectilinear design (though not officially noted as such) just add to its performance. It’s 100 degree coverage of view in such a small package just works in so many situations and being light weight, makes handholding a snap. Though long out of production, you can still find these gems used. What is really difficult to find is the HB-8 shade! And when you find them, the sellers tend to know they are hard to find! All I can say is, great lens!
It’s really no secret that I love GPS, been using it since literally it was invented. I just like knowing where I am and looking back, where I’ve been. I first wrote about the di-GPS back in 2007 not too long after they came on the scene. Then I wrote and used the GP-1 since it came out. Well now I’ve got the new (at least to me) di-GPS Pro and I really like the simple things that make it better. The GP-1 and di-GPS both do the same excellent job receiving satellite signals, no advantage to either unit there. But the di-GPS KICKS butt on thinking things through like making the connector into the 10-pin socket so it doesn’t stick out and get stuck on things. The cord is short and out of the way. Making a piece that slips on to the hot shoe foot so you can connect the di-GPS easily to a camera strap. These little things I feel add up to making this a better unit then the GP-1. I love it with companies see our problems and make solutions for them!
Heading over to San Fran for DLWS, we left early and headed up Hwy 395. Written about it many times, the magic of Mono Lake. What seems like a typical thing in the winter, a low, hanging, freezing fog sticks to the basin for most of the morning. This fog has provided many a cool B&W shot like the one above. It just fits the mood of the locale and the season so well. Now the weird thing is the morning before, it looked like this. Just goes to show that getting out everyday with a camera can pay dividends.
Photo & video by D3s, 7-0200VR2 / 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film
Photographic rewards come in many flavors. You’ve got contests, that’s pretty cool. Who hasn’t had one or more of their family members tell you that you should go pro. That’s rewarding. There is getting your photographs published in a magazine, getting your own book and of course there is the sale of a print for a handsome price. That’s just downright sweet. Topping this is that moment when you think you’ve made that great click and then when you’re looking at your images later, you know you’ve made that great click. Now we’re talkin rewards. But I think there is one even greater that comes from photography for many of us fortunate shooters.
Do you ever feel that you’ve got everything backwards and perhaps you’re looking at the world upside down? Not so much as the world as a whole, just the photographic world. For example, have you heard this silly competition thing between Nikon and Canon owners? Or how about Mac and Windows? While there are some great jokes for one side or the other, what gets me is when folks actually take it all really seriously, like the future of the planet depends on determining which is best. And it seems like just yesterday there was the pixel race, who’s got the most. Glad that’s cooled down so now we can debate who has the best high ISO. Now there’s a debate that keeps you on the edge of your seat!
One of my all time favorites that come up almost yearly for the last 30 years I’ve been involved in the sport, is the question, “Do I buy the current model or wait for the next, best body that surely is coming?” One of our best selling images still to this day, was taken with a D1 body, an image with a little noise, not super dupper tack sharp but yet, the light, color and gesture just keep it selling and selling. Even with that knowledge, I’m always one of the first to jump on new technology just because…because history has proven for us it’s a wise business move. But this doesn’t bring the greatest reward in photography I think.
Photography is a struggle, at least it has been for me. I’m talking the whole package, from the content creating to the image selling to maintaining business . It’s a struggle. In the beginning I remember bad times when selling a lens was the only way to pay bills. I remember passing on projects because there simply was no capitol to fund it. I painfully remember those projects I didn’t do to my best ability for lack of knowledge. Yet even with those struggles, somehow, we managed to keep moving forward. There isn’t a day that Sharon & I don’t wake up and look at our home and pinch ourselves knowing that photography paid for it. Even this to me isn’t close to the greatest reward photography has to offer.
Since our oldest son Brent was two weeks old and Jake at two days old, they have been out there with me when I was shooting. Brent’s first word, seriously, was Nikon (he had a damaged FM-2 he played with as a kid). When we went camping, speaking engagement, a party, a conference, or nearly any social function, photography was somehow involved. And so it has been for 22 years. Today was an example of exactly what I’m talking about. Working on a new project, Sharon, Jake, Brent & myself spent the day flying in WWII warbird T6 Texans. The air to air photography was amazing and I was incredibly fortunate again to be working with our youngest son Jake. You can see him being ninja shooter, a little bit of forehead peaking over his camera as he photographs the plane I’m in. And as you can see, I’m photographing him photographing me (or he’s photographing me photographing him).
Then after our morning flight, we landed and Brent & Sharon went up and flew and Jake and I photographed their flight. Afterwards we all got back together and went to a hamburger BBQ in the hanger with other pilots on the field and talked planes. Stories from WWII, Korea & Vietnam as well as “ramp rumors” filled the air. It was just a helluva day!
And now we’re getting to what I think if the greatest reward photography has to offer. And that’s permitting us to follow our passion and share it with others. This can be done in many ways and all day long. I’m so fortunate that I have a great family who not only have supported my craziness for all these years, but actually participate in it. And what’s still amazes me that the one type of photography that gets us all out together and incredibly excited is not wildlife, landscape, skiing or fly fishing photography but is aviation photography. Anything that brings and keeps a family together is a good thing. I’ve seen photography work its magic on other families and I’m so glad its part of ours.
In our family, Dad gets away with nothing and this is particularly true with photography. I have a house of very qualified critics who have no hesitation telling me their opinion of my images (I wonder where they got that from, must have been Sharon). It’s a reality check I relish because their comments are not just based on technical or artistic merits, but also how Dad’s photography should be felt. That’s when the world all turns upright again and I experience photography’s greatest reward. Forget everything else and just open your lens, shutter and your heart and let the light in and then share it. You too will experience photograph’s greatest reward!
I had an interesting call the other day asking a question that comes up more often now that money is tighter. Can one tripod do all? You are probably saying that’s not a new question, you might have already found the answer, but I think you’ll find this has a twist you might not have considered. Can you buy the BIG tripod and use it for your big lens with the Whimberley Head and then use the same BIG tripod (5540 pictured here) with the smaller Really Right Stuff BH-55 for all your small lenses?
My BIG tripod is the 5560SGT and is one BIG tripod. Many times I’ve spun the Whimberley off and attached the BH-55 and it works great. When space is tight and I only have space in the luggage for one tripod, this is the only option. Now when working in the field, the 5560SGT with a idy bidy body and 16Fish on top can be hard to maneuver in a small spot. It can be done, but it’s just not fun.
I much prefer to have two tripods along, the 5560SGT for the 600mm and the 3540XLS for everything else. My bud Joe McNally uses the 5560SGT and nothing else, doing exactly what the caller wondered if was a smart thing to do. He uses it with the BH-55 whenever he does use a tripod. And that’s part of it as well, with proper handholding, you don’t always need a tripod, a small one at least so the one BIG tripod will do a fine job.
One last food for thought. Which ever tripod you do or don’t go with, using the proper technique makes all the difference in the world in getting a sharp image. And that’s the whole goal. The Moose Video Library has all the sharpness videos, here’s the da Tripod video for ya.
These aren’t anything super major for the D3x but do clean up some minor bugs. The D3, here’s the laundry list
Auto white balance performance has been improved.
Support for 64 GB memory cards has been added.
When ISO sensitivity settings>ISO sensitivity auto control in the shooting menu is set to On, the Maximum sensitivity option can now be specified in steps of 1/3 EV, 1/2 EV or 1 EV, according to the Custom Setting b1 ISO sensitivity step value setting.
The length of time the camera waits before adjusting focus in response to sudden changes in the distance to the subject can now be selected from 5 (Long), 4, 3 (Normal), 2, and 1 (Short) from Custom Setting a4 Focus tracking with lock-on. With the increase in the number of options for Custom Setting a4 Focus tracking with lock-on, this item will be set to 3 (Normal) after firmware upgrade. Adjust this setting as needed.
A Dynamic AF area option has been added to the FUNC. button + dials (Preview + command dials, AE-L/AF-L + command dials) item for Custom Setting f4 Assign FUNC. Button (f5 Assign preview button, f6 Assign AE-L/AF-L button).
When AF-ON is selected for Custom Setting a9 AF-ON button or a10 Vertical AF-ON button, the monitor now turns off when the AF-ON button is pressed, even when shooting information is displayed.
When AF-ON is selected for Custom Setting f6 Assign AE-L/AF-L button>AE-L/AF-L button press, the monitor now turns off when the AE/AF lock button is pressed, even when shooting information is displayed.
A Use GPS to set camera clock item has been added to the GPS item in the setup menu. When Yes is selected, date and time information acquired via connection to a GPS device is used to set the camera’s internal clock. After selecting Yes for the first time, turn the camera off and then on again to reacquire GPS data.
When Enable is selected for GPS>Auto meter off in the setup menu, the time until meters turn off is now extended by up to 1 minute to enable camera acquisition of GPS data immediately after the camera is turned on, and immediately after meters turn on. (only with GPS Unit GP-1)
When On is selected for Long exp. NR with shooting at shutter speeds slower than 1 s but faster than or equal to 8 s, it did not function properly. This issue has been resolved.
The focus point was sometimes not displayed even when focus was acquired with playback of images captured with continuous shooting. This issue has been resolved.
When some memory cards were inserted in the camera, “CHA” was displayed in the top control panel and images could not be captured. This issue has been resolved.
You can find all the updates here, click on DSLR and find your particular body.
